Annual Performance Reviews
The Office of Academic Affairs maintains the policy on annual faculty reviews.
Timeline & Guidelines
OAA has required written annual evaluations of all compensated faculty since 1993. This includes all tenure-track faculty (including those at the rank of professor), all clinical, teaching, practice and research faculty, and all compensated associated faculty, including lecturers. The following guidelines provide information about the annual review process for all compensated faculty.
- February 2, 2026: Suggested deadline for faculty to submit annual review materials to chairs and directors
- April 3, 2026: Deadline for fourth-year review dossiers for assistant professors and clinical/teaching/practice and research faculty reappointments to be submitted to the college
- April 27, 2026: Suggested target date for completing annual review meetings
- May 1, 2026 (Required): TIU Heads must complete all annual reviews (including any required annual review meetings) for tenure-track, C/T/P, research and associated faculty (e.g., lecturers, including part-time) and initiate the 7-calendar day comment period.
- May 15, 2026 (Required): Units must complete TIU comments process, upload annual review letters in Interfolio, and initiate the 14-day appeals process.
- May 29, 2026: Deadline to report any non-renewals of assistant professors to the Office of Academic Affairs (non-renewals require a Fourth Year Review process)
At a minimum, all compensated faculty members (tenure track, clinical/teaching/practice, research, and associated faculty) must report on activities conducted in the period between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 (see important dates section for recommended dates), and provide an updated CV.
Probationary faculty (tenure-track assistant professors and C/T/P and research faculty in their initial appointment term) are expected to maintain a cumulative core dossier and to submit that dossier as part of the annual review. The core dossier template that can be used for the annual review is provided in the Annual Activity Report Template section below. ALL annual reviews of assistant professors include the full set of information that is reported in the core dossier. Though OAA recommends that tenure-track associate professors submit a dossier for the annual review, ASC is not requiring this for the 2025 annual review (due in 2026). Units may do so at their discretion. Likewise, though OAA recommends that the narrative sections the dossier be updated annually, ASC is leaving this decision to individual units.
Nonprobationary faculty and associated faculty are required to submit information about teaching and advising; curriculum and course development; publications and scholarly presentations; funding/grants; outreach and service; and honors and awards. In general, this information mirrors the categories that are on the core dossier outline for promotion and tenure reviews. A template using this outline is available below. Units may adapt this template in line with departmental Appointments, Promotion and Tenure (APT) policies and practices as long as the basic information is included. Associate professors who are planning for promotion may also submit a cumulative core dossier, to assist in evaluation of progress toward promotion; specific details about screening processes in individual departments and schools are spelled out in their respective APT documents.
- To review and follow the procedures for annual review outlined in the Office of Academic Affairs Annual Review Policy and in the unit’s APT document.
- To issue a call to the compensated faculty to submit annual review materials in time to meet the deadlines above. See targeted deadline in important dates section.
- To provide a written evaluation using the OAA Annual Review Letter Template (linked below) for all compensated faculty members.
- To provide a scheduled opportunity for a face-to-face meeting to all probationary faculty members and an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting to all other compensated faculty members.
- In cases where the faculty has joint appointments, to consult with the head of the other unit in line with existing MOUs and unit APT documents.
- To complete an annual review for each compensated faculty member by the college deadline in Interfolio.
*Annual review letters should not merely be descriptive summaries of an individual’s activities in a given year; they should evaluate the individual’s performance in relation to the unit’s mission, assigned workload, previously articulated goals for that individual, and specific expectations for the coming year. The annual review letter should also describe, when appropriate, actions the unit or its head will undertake to support the faculty member in achieving goals. The college expects that the full range of activities individual faculty are asked to undertake will be formally recognized and, when done well, rewarded.
For 2025-2026, units may use the current ASC Core Dossier Outline for annual activity reporting. The template can be edited or modified by chairs and directors to include other information as long as it covers the general categories included in the file. Activities should be listed for the period Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 of the current year.
Optional Questions
- Anything else the chair/director should know?
Questions specific to the discipline?
SEI and SSLE Reports
Faculty are also required to submit all SEI and SSLE reports for classes taught in calendar year 2025 (and for classes taught in prior years if required by individual units). A descriptions of the required reports and how to access them is linked below.
Annual Review Notification Templates
An overview of the notification, comments, and appeals process. Includes email templates to be used to notify faculty of the completed annual review, collect any comments on the review, and provide faculty with the option to appeal their annual review ratings to the College Dean.
Faculty Candidate Annual Review Comments Form
Comments form to be shared with faculty after the completion of the annual review with a copy of the annual review letter.
Starting in 2026-2027, annual activity reporting will transition to the Interfolio FAR system and faculty will be required to enter activities for calendar year 2026 via FAR. Faculty have access to the system since summer 2024 and are encouraged to start entering activities as soon as possible in preparation for this change. Further guidance will be forthcoming. Please contact ascfacultyaffairs@osu.edu with any questions or visit OAA's Interfolio FAR website for more information.
ASC Annual Review Workshop for TIU Heads and Case Managers
Tuesday, March 31, 2026; 10:00am-12pm
This workshop for TIU Heads (chairs/directors/center directors) and case managers, led by Kristi Williams, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, focuses on the reviewer's responsibilities in the new annual review process including the new requirements for writing the annual review letter, comments period, and appeals process.
ASC Annual Review Workshop for TIU Heads and Case Managers - March 2026
Discovery Themes Faculty Review Process
Annual review letters and promotion/reappointment evaluations by Discovery Theme directors are no longer required for faculty hired under Discovery Theme initiatives. TIU heads may request such evaluations for inclusion in the dossier, but Discovery Theme directors are not obligated to provide them.